I Promise
by Tilted Star
Summary: Promises... do they mean anything? What happens when you break one? Will everything be the same again? A touching and emotional SS story. Warning: FULL OF FLUFF!
1. Prologue

Promises... do they mean anything? What happens when you break one? Will everything be the same again? A touching and emotional S+S story. Warning: FULL OF FLUFF!

A/N:

Konnichiwa! This is our first fanficcy, and we hope that you will enjoy it! Well, there isn't much to say, so on with the show!

Disclaimer: CCS and all its wonderful characters belong to CLAMP. The plot and all original characters (if any), belongs to us. 

"**I Promise"**

Prologue

By: _Tilted Star_

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Running.

Searching.

Crying.

"SYAORAN!"

"Where are you? You said you would be waiting for me, why did you break your promise!"

She was of almost heart-rending beauty, her emerald-green eyes filled with utter dejection and turbulence. Honey-brown hair framed her heart-shaped face; sides of cherry red lips turned down in grief. Her slim figure was complemented by a trailing white dress of silk flowing gracefully in the wind.

Sakura, an exquisite and delicate flower.

It would have been a perfect portrait of nature's beauty - a never-ending field of blossoming flowers illuminated by shafts of sunshine shining through openings in the white clouds hanging overhead - had it not been for the kneeling form in the middle of the field.

Sobbing.

Questioning.

Lacking.

Tears blurring her vision, Sakura scanned her surroundings for the first time. The sky of azure was partially covered by dazzling white clouds; a grove of sakura trees seeming to rest beneath them in the distance. A blanket of red and pink and white flowers covered the ground.

Carelessly brushing her hand against the flowers, she felt the familiar texture of soft silken petals. The tender, gossamer-like feel of the petals, complemented by its unique fragrance, completely arrested all of her attention. It seemed familiar, the memory of it so near yet so far. Picking a flower, she took a closer look at it. The blending of pink and white, the jade green of the stem...

"A peony..."

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A/N:

How was it? Did you like it? This might be a bit short, but it's just the prologue after all! We thought really hard about the plot and we feel that the story will be really interesting! Remember to R & R too please! Please provide constructive criticism as well! Click on that button there which says, "submit review", 'kay?


	2. Entwined

Promises... do they mean anything? What happens when you break one? Will everything be the same again? A touching and emotional S+S story. Warning: FULL OF FLUFF!

A/N:

Konnichiwa! Ha, gomen for taking so long, but I guess the prologue wasn't as bad as I thought, since there were actually reviews. I haven't decided if there is going to be any mention of magic in the story, but the cards have already been captured. Enjoy this chapter; we took an eternity to do this!

Disclaimer: CCS and all its wonderful characters belong to CLAMP. The plot and all original characters (if any), belongs to us.

"**I Promise"**

Entwined

By: _Tilted Star_

-------------------------

Something was suffocating her, ironically restricting her movements the more she flailed about to free herself. Sakura could hear someone calling her, his voice from afar. If only she could reach it…

Splash! The stinging drops of ice water on her skin shocked her back to reality. As she rubbed the sleepiness away from her eyes, blurring and refocusing, she saw the lanky figure of her brother standing at her beside, with an empty pail in his hands.

"About time you woke up, the sun's high overhead. Only a kaijuu would stay in bed thrashing about," Touya taunted.

"Sakura wa kaijuu janai mo!" Sakura screeched as soon as she recognised her tormentor, and threw her pillow at the closing door.

"Must Onii-chan always tease me like this?" Sakura grumbled as she tried to free herself from the tangled blanket.

In the midst of all the turmoil around her, Sakura forgot what her dream was about. However, the intense feelings her dream evoked lingered in her heart. The intense feelings for… Syaoran.

Hidden beneath Syaoran's cold exterior belied a most warm and gentle soul. With intense amber eyes staring defiantly from under dishevelled chestnut hair, Syaoran was but the most perfect compilation of qualities a girl could ever wish for in a man – handsome, intelligent, skilled, kind, cute, gentle, understanding, courageous, selfless… Oh, the list could go on and on.

And Sakura loved every bit of him ever since… she wasn't sure when. It could have started when Syaoran first called out her name when they were stuck in the lift together, it could have started when he decided to stay in Tomoeda, just as Eriol came. Maybe it was when he first entered her life, when he first stared at her with those ever-intense eyes.

In any case, the dream had left her with these confusing emotions, bitter sadness and an aching heart of losing a loved one… _Syaoran_.

Jerking her head up, Sakura hurriedly looked down again, blushing furiously. _Him again… I… I… have to confess! To tell him… aishiteru. Before I lose him… before I feel that horrible hopelessness again… Just like how I felt in the dream… It was a nightmare… Its Valentine's today… The perfect time to confess…_

"Oh! And I promised to meet Tomoyo-chan at the playground to walk to Eriol-kun's house to give him his Valentine's present… Hmm… Tomoyo-chan's present, check! Eriol-kun's, check! Yosh!"

She checked the time on her clock. "Hoe! I'm gonna be late!" She started for the door but stopped momentarily, and backtracked to say goodbye to Kero. "Ja ne Kero-chan, your Valentine's chocolate is on the desk, happy eating, 'k?"

As she left the room, Kero poked his head out of the drawer, sprawled over the drawer's edge, sleepily questioning, "Naiya?"

-------------------------

As Sakura approached the playground, she saw Tomoyo sitting on a bench.

"Tomoyo-chan!" Sakura cried, waving at her. She plopped down next to Tomoyo and smiled, "Ohayo!"

"Ohayo, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo answered. "Let's set off for Hiiragizawa-kun's house, ne?"

"Hai!" Sakura said as they starting walking in the direction of Eriol's house. Tomoyo started chattering happily about the new costumes she made for Sakura, and how she couldn't wait for Sakura to try them.

"Unn…" Sakura mumbled, not really listening as she started brooding about the dream.

Recognising that Sakura was feeling troubled over something, Tomoyo asked gently, "Is something the matter?"

Realising that she had been caught thinking about, well, Syaoran, she blushed. And knowing that no one can keep anything from Tomoyo, Sakura told her about the dream.

Tomoyo listened patiently, and when Sakura finished, she thought about it, and smiled at the irony of it all. Both Sakura and Syaoran liked each other, yet they were both afraid of being rejected.

"Well," Tomoyo started, smiling. " If you don't ever ask, you won't know how he feels, ne?"

"To-Tomoyo-chan…" Sakura stammered. _Tomoyo-chan's right. If I don't confess, I'll never know how he feels… It will be better than always pondering about his feelings towards me. I'll tell him when we meet at the swing set later._

Soon after, they reached Eriol's house, which was on top of the hill in Tomoeda. As they entered the dining room, Nakuru pounced on Sakura, pinching her cheeks and squealing, "KAWAII DESU!"

"Stop torturing her," Spinel stated blandly. Nakura pouted, but whipped out a gigantic present and said sweetly, "This, is for the two of you. I would have given some to Suppi-chan, but he didn't want any."

"I don't eat chocolate," Spinel muttered, staring out of the window.

"Umm… Ohayo… Where is Eriol-kun?" Sakura questioned.

As soon as the question was out of her mouth, the door opened, revealing Eriol in his usual cobalt-coloured robe, holding two gift-wrapped parcels in his hands.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Sakura-san, Daidouji-san. Sorry for my lateness, I was wrapping your presents," Eriol explained as he handed the two neatly wrapped presents to Sakura and Tomoyo.

"Arigatou, Eriol-kun… Ano… This is for you," Sakura said as she handed Eriol his present from her and Tomoyo.

As Eriol started the conversation, with a few squeals injected by Nakuru, as well as the occasional chuckle from Tomoyo, Sakura started drifting back to her castle in the sky, her head in the clouds, while the clock went tick tick ticking…

-------------------------

It was soon dusk, Syaoran had been waiting at the swing set in the playground for almost three hours, but Sakura was still no where to be seen…

He let out a sigh. For three hours, children at the playground had been staring at him, wondering why a "grown-up kid" was sitting there, robbing them of the lovely swing…

One by one, the children left, leaving only him and the desolate playground. The colours of the sunset painted the place a mingling of orange and pink, the colours of unrequited love…

With a sigh of resignation, Syaoran stood up, leaving his Valentine's present to her on the swing.

_So she doesn't feel what I feel for her… I should have known…_

He walked away.

-------------------------

Sakura rushed to the playground. _I'm late, I'm so late… Syaoran must have left… What if he thought I never loved him?_

Moments after Syaoran left, Sakura approached the swing set, panting heavily. She scanned the rapidly darkening place, looking for any sign of Syaoran.

On the swing laid a peony and sakura flower, their stems entwined together.

_Does this mean……?_

Enlightened by this new discovery, Sakura whipped around, trying to recognise the direction where Syaoran had left. She sprinted away, the entwined flowers clasped to her bosom, combing through the whole park for Syaoran, but to no avail.

It was but a futile search.

-------------------------

Eventually, Sakura shuffled along the pathway, dragging her feet along, her face covered in perspiration.

_In the end, the peony and the sakura were not fated to be…_

Sakura trudged along, walking towards the bridge laid across the river. Lifting her head up, she realized it was night. The full moon shone brightly above her head, a lone pearl in a sea of velvet. A dog howled in the distance, reminding Sakura of Syaoran. Looking ahead, she saw a silhouette leaning against the bridge's railings.

-------------------------

Syaoran stood on the bridge, looking at the shimmering ribbon of silver beneath him, his forlorn face staring back at him.

_Sakura, what is it about me that you can't accept? Perhaps we were never meant to be…_

He sighed once again and straightened himself, prepared to return home.

"Syaoran."

Instinctively, he turned around, fully aware of her presence.

_Sakura…_

Moonbeams shone down on Sakura, bathing her in a dazzling white, highlighting her every feature, making her look as if she was a fairy from heaven. Clasped in her hands were the two flowers, Syaoran's Valentine's present to her.

She smiled; tears trickled out of the corner of her eyes, staining her cheeks. Syaoran strode towards her and reached out a hand to brush away her tears, together with all her doubts, replacing it with the hope of love.

Slowly, they embraced each other, reveling in the warmth of the other. Sakura hesitantly tilted her head up and let herself drown in Syaoran's gaze. Leaning closer, he placed a kiss on her forehead and closed his eyes.

Under the moonlight, they kissed.

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A/N:

And that's the end of this chapter! Whew! Finally! Done! Congratulate us! CHEERS

Enjoyed this chapter? Don't forget to leave a review!

Click on the button and leave a review for us!


	3. A Magical Moment

Promises... do they mean anything? What happens when you break one? Will everything be the same again? A touching and emotional S+S story. Warning: FULL OF FLUFF!!!

A/N:

Thanks for all the reviews!! …Though we must be the greatest procrastinators ever… one chapter a year… And I realized peonies grow on woody bushes like roses, not from the ground (chapter 1), and you'll probably trip and get scratched all over if you ran through them… Poor Sakura-chan… But it's too late to fix it, and neither would it have fitted in… Anyway!!! This chapter is completed, so read on!

P.S. If anyone is unclear, they are all 19 years old now.

Disclaimer: CCS and all its wonderful characters belong to CLAMP. The plot and all original characters (if any), belongs to us.

"**I Promise"**

A Magical Moment

By: _Tilted Star_

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A lone sakura petal drifted through the spring air, the last of a petal shower that had cloaked the park grounds in a soft, misty pink. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom, the perfume that wafted from the flowers intoxicating, lending the very air an ethereal feel.

The gnarled branch that grew from the immense sakura tree shuddered, as the spring breeze flitted through the flowers, dislodging the petals to send them showering down upon the party under its shade.

A red-checkered cloth was laid out under the tree, where seven people were gathered in a circle. Set in the middle was a plate of assorted cookies, surrounded by sandwiches of different varieties piled on plates, along with piles of muffins, slices of cherry pie and strawberry shortcake. A jar of lemonade stood next to the plate of muffins, flanked by a gigantic bowl of salad and a plate of deviled eggs.

A hand reached out for the chocolate muffin that was balanced precariously atop the mountain of cupcakes. " It's been a long time since I last ate Tomoyo's delicious fudge filled muffins," Chiharu declared, taking a bite out of the muffin and closing her eyes to savour the rich flavour of chocolate in her mouth.

Tomoyo smiled; a smile filled with tenderness and warmth. She looked on as her other friends took muffins for themselves, finally taking the one remaining cupcake for herself. Munching on her chocolate muffin, she listened on as the others started talking.

"This shall perhaps the last chance we'll get to be together for a long time," Rika started. "Soon everyone shall be busy in university…"

"Don't get all nostalgic on us now, we should be enjoying this moment together. When we are old and stuck in rocking chairs, this would be a memory worth reliving – scenes of us sitting around rejoicing in each other's presence while snacking on sandwiches," replied Naoko, as a malicious glint insidiously made its way into her eyes. "For all you know, we might have triggered an innate clairvoyance that would allow us to unknowingly return to the past. We might be only simulacra sent by our real-life counterparts into this fantasy world!!!"

The rest of her companions could only twitch the edge of their mouths in disbelief, but Takashi only gave a half-lidded smile, shooting a finger up into the air.

"Well, of course that is a very probable likelihood! In fact, these occurances are doubtlessly caused by aliens who have been trying to show us the possibility of travelling through time and space. What more, it's my be-_mmmphh!!!_"

"Hai, hai, hai! Finish your pudding first, ne?" Chiharu retorted, referring to the gargantuan spoon of mango pudding that she had just shoved into Takashi's throat.

An indignant squeak from Takashi – "But I hate pudding!" – was drowned in the wave of conversation started by Chiharu, who was determined to deviate from any topic that would give Takashi a reason to begin another lying campaign.

Grinning at the couple's antics, Sakura laid back cross-legged, hands cushioning her head. Gazing up into the sky, she could see wispy strands of clouds trailing through the bit of blue peeking through the sakura branches. She tilted her head to the right, contemplating the hazel-eyed youth beside her.

_Syaoran…_

With a shadow of a smile on her lips, Sakura let the hum of conversation wash over her, half-listening, half-drowsing in the warmth of the spring sun as her mind began drifting back to the past…

"_We won, we won!" Sakura cheered, celebrating with her girl friends, as the defeated group of boys half knelt on the sandy beach, panting as they looked upon their female counterparts jumping in delight._

"_That's two to one for us girls, so we win! Hah!" proclaimed Meiling, as she held hands with Sakura, dancing in a circle._

_Syaoran looked up, panting, then grinned, and leapt from his kneeling position. Before she knew it, Sakura was sopping wet. Syaoran stood smirking a little way off, a water hose in his hand._

"_Oh you… This is war!" huffed Sakura, as she scrambled under the volleyball net towards Syaoran. She scooped a handful of sand and showered him with it. Before anyone knew it, they had started an all out war, fistfuls of sand flying every which way…_

Sand… The sakura flowers gently swaying on the branches above did look a bit like flying sand to Sakura…

_Sakura and Tomoyo and their families were admiring the blooming sakura trees of the New Year from the bridge arching over the gentle stream._

"_Oh Sakura-chan!" Sonomi gushed. "You look just as pretty as these sakura! Nadesiko would be so proud!" At the mention of Nadesiko, she blinked, snapped out of her reverie and turned her head, narrowing her eyes at Fujitaka, Sakura's father._

"_Hoe…" tittered Sakura, but she was saved from saying anything else as another petal shower started, bathing the park in a sea of pink. A dog behind them yelped as he chased and batted at the falling petals, as his owners laughed at his antics._

Dog… Wolf… Syaoran-kun…

"… _And so if you divide the volume by x and y, you'll get the height," Syaoran finished._

"_Ano… Could you explain it again please?" Sakura asked miserably. She was really horrible at math, so Syaoran was practically a godsend. He patiently and meticulously taught and re-taught everything Sakura didn't understand about math; she couldn't have got through high school math if not for Syaoran's tutoring._

_Syaoran smiled. "Come, I'll explain again. To get x, you multiply…"_

An upsurge of conversation ended Sakura's muse. "… Nineteen years old already! You would think that after so many years of making up stories, Takashi-kun would grow up and stop lying!" Chiharu huffed, exasperated with Takashi's storytelling.

Sakura's ears perked up. Apparently, Takashi had just told yet another lie. She grinned as she thought of the numerous lies Takashi had made up throughout the years she had known him. It was amazing, the way he never seemed to run out of stories to tell. Over the years, however, Sakura had become more adept at differentiating the truths from the lies. She could spot the lies in, oh, maybe three out seven stories. An incredible improvement indeed, she thought.

"There is a legend which goes like this," continued Takashi, "If a couple held hands under a sakura tree during the last of a petal shower while making a wish to be together forever, their wish would come true."

Chiharu's mouth went slack, speechless, not knowing whether to hit him on the head or to embrace the romantic notion and squeal. Rika gave a questioning look and turned to Tomoyo, who caught her eye and gave an amused smile. Pleased with the awed response he had gotten, Takashi continued with renewed enthusiasm. "And the couple would then get married in style, settle down peacefully and have ten babies one after another who will then have ten babies of their own and all shall live happily as one big family!"

……

The sense of wonder that he had managed to gather immediately disappeared, and Chiharu, who had given up on him, took another sandwich to munch on, while mostly everyone else sweatdropped. As for Tomoyo, she merely smiled, and took out another strawberry shortcake from her picnic basket.

No one noticed Syaoran hurriedly placing his hand over Sakura's on the picnic cloth, interlacing his fingers with hers, blushing furiously all the while. No one noticed him squeezing his eyes shut, muttering under his breath. No one noticed Sakura looking up at his face, smiling softly and closing her eyes.

And no one noticed the lone sakura petal that rode on a whisper of a wind, falling atop their clasped hands.

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All too soon the sun began dipping towards the horizon, accentuating the edges of trees with orange, glowing softly in the evening sky. The gang finished packing their picnic stuff, bade goodbye to each other and parted ways. Tomoyo's bodyguards had come to chauffeur her home, and Sakura waved to the rapidly shrinking car from her spot on the road kerb until it was out of sight.

"Well, shall we go home now?" Syaoran asked. Sakura nodded her head, smiling, and they started down the road, their elongated shadows trailing behind them.

The couple walked down a row of shops and cafes, which had set up tables on the red brick path, where people were enjoying the spring evening with a cup of coffee. They admired the peaceful and relaxed atmosphere around, a comforting silence blanketing them. There seemed no need for words on an evening like this, walking hand in hand with the person each treasured.

With her hand clasped in the warm grasp of her partner, Sakura thought about the many happy times they used to spend on the riverbank reveling in each other's presence, lazily kicking their feet in the water while it swirled warmly around their calves. Sadly, those times seemed to have dwindled as they approached the final examinations that determined which university they went to. Those times were instead replaced by countless hours studying at Syaoran's house, all the better to avoid Sakura's brother's fierce glare.

"Ano… Syaoran-kun…"

"Sakura."

There was a momentary silence as each said the other's name in unison, both waiting for the other to speak up.

"I was thinking about the river too."

Sakura's eyes widened in surprise, then she smiled and nodded, "Let's go then."

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The river water shone pink, purple, golden and green as it reflected the colours of the fading sunrays. It seemed almost as if they were slipping their feet into a magical potion of ever-changing colours.

Sakura laid her head on Syaoran's shoulders, as they looked at their feet playfully fighting in the water, throwing up coloured droplets of gold.

"Syaoran-kun?"

"Yes?"

"Remember when we used to play hide and seek here and you would always find me because I kept hiding behind the same bush?"

"Uh-huh."

"And the time when we would stand in the river and splash water at each other? And you would never dare splash water at me for fear that I would catch a cold?

"Mmm…"

"This place really holds many of our memories, ne, Syaoran-kun? Let's stay forever like this, shall we?"

……

"Syaoran-kun?" Sakura sat up and looked worriedly into his face.

Syaoran's face was scrunched up in obvious pain; his eyes squeezed shut and jaws clenched in an effort to not cry out. A hand was placed on his stomach, tightly gripping the fabric of his shirt until his knuckles turned white.

"Syaoran-kun! Are you alright? What's wrong?!"

"It-it's nothing. Ju-just a passing pain," Syaoran mumbled as he painfully pried his eyes open and gave Sakura a comforting smile.

"Let's go, I'll get you home," Sakura said resolutely as she tried to pull Syaoran to his feet.

They limped their way up to Syaoran's apartment, where Sakura reluctantly left him, as she had to make dinner. Syaoran waved her goodbye as he tried his best not to reveal any more sign of pain.

As soon as she rounded the corner, he stumbled through the door and limped to his room. He could hold out no longer, and fell on his bed, wincing as the fall jolted the pain once more. Unable to withstand the agony anymore, Syaoran passed out.

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A/N:

And that's the end of the longest chapter yet! Believe it when I say this has been the most trying chapter so far… We are just not cut out for mushiness…

Anyway, just wanted you guys' opinions. How do you like the writing style so far? Give constructive comments please, for example, if it's too draggy or just nice. Do you want it to remain as it is, or prefer a more conversational story? You get the idea.

Writing this story is getting kind of boring, and the story is getting boring too… We're wondering about how to continue the story… Any tips?

I'm thinking of re-writing the prologue, tell me what you think about that as well.

And the only way you can do the things above, is to scroll down and review! Go go go!


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